IWRON PILOT APPROVED: O’Connor and McLellan Named to Lead First Two Squadrons

In June 2025, the Information Warfare Squadron (IWRON) pilot was unanimously approved by USFF, CPF, and CNE/CNA at the Fleet Commanders’ Readiness Council (FCRC). This initiative will stand up two IWRONs this Fall: IWRON TWO on the East Coast, led by CAPT Jon O’Connor, and IWRON NINE on the West Coast, led by CAPT Edward “Doc” McLellan. Both individuals are Naval Intelligence officers. The IWRON construct is modeled on air wings and destroyer squadrons, with IWRON commanding officers (COs) serving a 36-month “fleet-up” tour (18 months as Deputy IWC and 18 months as IWC). Officers from all IW designators are eligible.

CAPT Jon O'Connor, IWRON TWO

CAPT Edward “Doc” McLellan, IWRON NINE

The pilots will operate for 18 to 24 months, gathering insights, refining doctrine, and evaluating the effectiveness of integrating IW capabilities at the squadron level. Each IWRON will be comprised of 70 personnel, leveraging the existing direct support (DIRSUP) model while adding 12 personnel, thereby maintaining a comparable size to today’s embarked presence and minimizing the impact to carrier personnel capacity. 

Each IWRON will include talent and capabilities from six core units: Carrier Strike Group staff, the Strike Group Oceanography Team (SGOT), the Fleet Intelligence Detachment (FID) DC, the Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command (NCDOC), the Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC), and the Naval Information Warfare Training Group (NIWTG).

This is a milestone moment for our community! The IWRON construct integrates and employs advanced IW capabilities and delivers them as a unified force across the spectrum of conflict, employing IW warfighting effects in a way that has never been demonstrated before.